Song ID: 1970s Philadelphia soul song heard in grocery store

Cafe Society
1

Trying to ID a song that I heard at the grocery store earlier today.

The song is almost certainly a mid- to late-1970s Philadelphia soul song (or heavily influenced by that sound). Every song this store plays is pretty much a Top 40 hit from the last 50 years or so, so it shouldn’t be an album track or something underground.

There’s a strong male tenor voice over a set of deeper-voiced male backing singers. Almost certainly no female voice on the track. It’s not “call and response” … the tenor is frequently singing right over the background singers.

It’s uptempo, but not as fast as most disco tracks. It’s slower than, say, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. It’s about the same tempo as “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love?” by The Spinners.

The store’s audio system is a little weak, and it was hard to make out lyrics. One part, maybe two minutes into the song, sounded a lot like the deeper-voiced backing singers singing “Love … you can’t just come in …” with the word “Love” drawn out a bit (maybe two whole notes?).

I Googled those lyrics a bunch of different ways and came up with nothing – so I know I don’t have those lyrics quite right, but the sung words sounded like the ones I typed. “Love” could maybe be “One” or something with that same vowel.

So far I’ve gone through the hit singles of The Spinners, The O’Jays, and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Coming up empty so far, though the song really sounds like The Spinners.style. As far as Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass’s voice is too deep to match what I heard in the store, but maybe another member took lead vox?

2

Could you go back to the store and ask them ?
If it was a radio station, check their playlist … ?

3

Could it be “Standing in the Shadows of Love” by the Four Tops? But that one does have female backups. Hmm.

4

Definitely not a radio station. It’s that canned popular-hits music package that many grocery stores play.

I will find it, eventually.

5

A shot in the dark - The Speed Of Love by Earth Wind and Fire. It has several occurrences of “Love” followed by the rest of the line.
And could it be Earth Wind and Fire?

6

This song, I know. The mystery song has a very definitive 1970s production style. I’ll be surprised if the track is earlier than 1972-73.

While the mystery song doesn’t scream “DISCO!” … it wouldn’t be out of place being played at a sterotypical late-70s disco. At least IMHO.

7

Thanks for taking a stab at it. Not this song.

It could be Earth, Wind and Fire but it would be an atypical sound for them. I am familiar with EW&F’s hit singles, and it wasn’t any of those.

Starting to really focus in on The Spinners. It’s either them or an act highly evocative of The Spinners.

8

Another shot in the dark.
Look What You’ve Done To Me - Boz Skaggs

9

One of my favorite songs … woulda known that one in an instant.

The mystery song is much more uptempo.

10

Since it might be the Spinners… Love or Leave. The description of “the tenor frequently singing right over the background singers” fits. It barely made the top 40.

11

Not “Love or Leave” either.

I hope to hear it again somewhere else before long. Need to try to catch more of the lyrics.

12

McFadden and Whitehead - Ain’t no stoppin us now?

Bunny Sigler was another Philly Intl artist.

13

Something by the Isley Bros?

14

Love Train by the O’jays?

15

Missed edit

Back In Love Again](- YouTube) by L.T.D?

16

Not “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” – I know that one.

I will check Sigler’s material.

17

Will have to check through their discography. The Isleys, over time, were a much more eclectic act than I had realized, so they’re not a bad lead.

18

“Love Train” I know well, but the LTD song you linked (“Back in Love Again”) … that’s another one I’ve been hearing for years but never had a title or an artist. So thanks!

Just an aside – as a testament to my poor ability to suss out lyrics, I had always thought the opening lines to “Back In Love Again” were “Every time I win I lose…when I lose I win” instead of the actual verse: “Every time I move I lose…when I look I’m in”

So if I can hear “Every time I move …” as “Every time I win …” … the lyrics I quoted in the OP could be fairly far off.

19

Any chance it could have been something by the Delfonics or the Stylistics? I realize that the majority of their hits were pretty slow, but maybe they had something a bit more uptempo that I’m not recalling off the top of my head.

20

Possibly. The mystery song has no falsetto, either, but maybe those acts reached outside of their usual formula from time to time.